Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis logoLink to Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
. 1973 Winter;6(4):573–578. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1973.6-573

The effects of play materials on social play1

H Robert Quilitch 1,2,2, Todd R Risley 1,2
PMCID: PMC1310875  PMID: 16795441

Abstract

To increase cooperative and social behaviors in children, contingency management programs have been successfully employed. This study examined the possibility that children's social behavior might also be significantly influenced by the nature of the available play materials. Children in an urban recreation center were systematically provided with toys designed for social or isolate play. It was found that social play occurred only 16% of the time when the children were provided with “isolate” toys, whereas social play occurred 78% of the time when children were provided with “social” toys. Thus, the selection of play materials should be an important consideration in any effort to teach children social behaviors.

Full text

PDF
573

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALLEN K. E., HART B., BUELL J. S., HARRIS F. R., WOLF M. M. EFFECTS OF SOCIAL REINFORCEMENT ON ISOLATE BEHAVIOR OF A NURSERY SCHOOL CHILD. Child Dev. 1964 Jun;35:511–518. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1964.tb05188.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Buell J. Collateral social development accompanying reinforcement of outdoor play in a preschool child. J Appl Behav Anal. 1968 Summer;1(2):167–173. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1968.1-167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hall R. V., Broden M. Behavior changes in brain-injured children through social reinforcement. J Exp Child Psychol. 1967 Dec;5(4):463–479. doi: 10.1016/0022-0965(67)90042-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hart B. M., Reynolds N. J., Baer D. M., Brawley E. R., Harris F. R. Effect of contingent and non-contingent social reinforcement on the cooperative play of a preschool child. J Appl Behav Anal. 1968 Spring;1(1):73–76. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1968.1-73. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hopkins B. L. Effects of candy and social reinforcement, instructions, and reinforcement schedule leaning on the modification and maintenance of smiling. J Appl Behav Anal. 1968 Summer;1(2):121–129. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1968.1-121. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kale R. J., Kaye J. H., Whelan P. A., Hopkins B. L. The effects of reinforcement on the modification, maintenance, and generalization of social responses of mental patients. J Appl Behav Anal. 1968 Winter;1(4):307–314. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1968.1-307. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kirby F. D., Toler H. C. Modification of preschool isolate behavior: a case study. J Appl Behav Anal. 1970 Winter;3(4):309–314. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1970.3-309. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Risley T. R. The effects and side effects of punishing the autistic behaviors of a deviant child. J Appl Behav Anal. 1968 Spring;1(1):21–34. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1968.1-21. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Wahler R. G. Child-child interactions in free field settings: some experimental analyses. J Exp Child Psychol. 1967 Jun;5(2):278–293. doi: 10.1016/0022-0965(67)90013-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Whitman T. L., Mercurio J. R., Caponigri V. Development of social responses in two severely retarded children. J Appl Behav Anal. 1970 Summer;3(2):133–138. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1970.3-133. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Wiesen A. E., Hartley G., Richardson C., Roske A. The retarded child as a reinforcing agent. J Exp Child Psychol. 1967 Mar;5(1):109–113. doi: 10.1016/0022-0965(67)90082-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis are provided here courtesy of Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

RESOURCES